descabellar

Spanish

Etymology

From des- +‎ cabello +‎ -ar.

Pronunciation

 
  • IPA(key): /deskabeˈʝaɾ/ [d̪es.ka.β̞eˈʝaɾ] (most of Spain and Latin America)
  • IPA(key): /deskabeˈʎaɾ/ [d̪es.ka.β̞eˈʎaɾ] (rural northern Spain, Andes Mountains, Paraguay, Philippines)
  • IPA(key): /deskabeˈʃaɾ/ [d̪es.ka.β̞eˈʃaɾ] (Buenos Aires and environs)
  • IPA(key): /deskabeˈʒaɾ/ [d̪es.ka.β̞eˈʒaɾ] (elsewhere in Argentina and Uruguay)

  • Rhymes: -aɾ
  • Syllabification: des‧ca‧be‧llar

Verb

descabellar (first-person singular present descabello, first-person singular preterite descabellé, past participle descabellado)

  1. (transitive) to scalp (something)
  2. (bullfighting) to slaughter a bull by slitting its throat with a descabello
  3. (figurative) to mess up

Conjugation

Derived terms

Further reading